The 2026 Corvette ZR1X Is The 1,250 HP Hypercar The Mid-Engine Chevy Was Always Meant To Be

Regardless of what treatment the Chevy Camaros, Supercharged Cadillacs, or GMC Hummers got, the Corvette was always supposed to be the baddest car in the entirety of GM's stable. Now, that fact has been hammered into automotive history with the introduction of the 2026 Corvette ZR1X. Cutting to the chase, it has 1,250 horsepower: Just that figure alone is going to sell the car to the right demographic. 

Making the bulk of that power is a 5.5-liter V8 with two turbochargers, producing 1,064 horsepower. The other half of the ZR1X's drivetrain is a 186 horsepower electric motor that drives the front axle. Those two powerplants working together result in a 0-60 time that General Motors says is "under 2 seconds." If that ends up being true to life, the ZR1X would have an acceleration time that's on par with high-powered EVs like the Lucid Air Sapphire and Tesla Model S Plaid. 

For a gas-powered car, that's pretty big news. For Chevy, this car is the result of everything the 8th-generation Corvette is supposed to be. 

The base model C8 Corvette certainly has the looks of a supercar, with its mid-engine layout and impossibly low and pointy profile. Still, with an LS engine that produces a little under 500 horsepower, it's still definably a Corvette, getting dwarfed by cars like the Lamborghini Revuelto and Ferrari LaFerrari. 

With the introduction of the ZR1X, multi-million dollar exotics might have something to be afraid of, and it's a V8-powered track missile built in Kentucky. The Corvette now has the powertrain and track numbers to befit its shape. Ken Morris, a senior VP at GM, said: "From day one, we designed the mid-engine Corvette architecture with ZR1X in mind." This car, even according to General Motors, is what the Corvette was always meant to be.

Whether you want to call it a hypercar or supercar, it's ridiculously powerful and quick. It has the potential to be one of the wildest American cars ever made, joining legends like the Plymouth Superbird, Dodge Viper ACR, and Ford GT. 

Getting into the details a bit, the ZR1X borrows a lot from the ZR1, of course, but also a fair amount from the E-Ray hybrid variant of the 'Vette. As such, it's not a traditional plug-in hybrid. It charges it's relatively small 1.9 kilowatt-hour battery through regenerative braking. According to Chevy, the electric motor can stay engaged up to 160 miles per hour. Chevy has not disclosed the ZR1X's top speed, though the "regular" ZR1 can reach 233 miles per hour, so it's presumably somewhere in that ballpark. 

The ZR1X is fitted with carbon ceramic brakes that feature 10 pistons on the front rotors, and six pistons on the rear 16.5-inch rotors. The rotors themselves are bigger than the wheels of some cars. Upon ordering, you can spec a "standard" ZR1X, or order the ZTK Performance Package; which gives you a sportier suspension and Michelin Pilot Cup 2R tires for good measure. Additionally, the ZTK Performance Package comes with the Carbon Aero package that, as the name suggests, gives you a bunch of aero parts resulting in 1,200 pounds of downforce.

Chevy has not divulged how many ZR1Xs will leave the factory, or even what it will cost, but it probably won't be cheap. The ZR1 already starts at $175,195.